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Introducing Sinai
Occupied by Israel from 1967 to 1982, and sharing more with Asia than Africa, Sinai is the most atypical part of Egypt.
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Settled by Bronze Age communities, attracted by Sinai’s copper and turquoise deposits, and later by Pharaonic mining parties, Sinai is most celebrated in history for the Exodus of Israelites towards the Promised Land. Though disputed by historians, Jews, Christians and Muslims believe Gebel Mousa (Mt Sinai) marks the spot where Moses received the Ten Commandments. It remains an important pilgrimage site.
If the interior belongs to God, Sinai’s coast belongs to mammon. Vast resorts fringe the peninsula, attracting biblical numbers of sun-worshippers, attracted by blue skies and world-class diving.
Despite high tourist revenue, the indigenous Bedouin of the Sinai see little investment in their own communities. In recent years their resentment, encouraged by fundamentalists with their own agenda, has led to violence. Tourism continues unabated, however.
Last updated: Feb 17, 2009
Sinai
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Our favourite Sinai Blogs (beta)
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Day 12, The Bomb Scare at the Israeli Border
Blog: Flying Coach - 20 September 2009
As Sara and I sat on a curb just inside the Israeli border waiting for our new friends to make it through their interrogation by the border guards, the sirens at the checkpoint suddenly sounded, a female voice barked out commands over the loudspeaker in Hebrew, the border gate slammed shut and a man ran [...]
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Day 11, Laid-Back Dahab After One of Us Almost Gets Left Behind
Blog: Flying Coach - 15 September 2009
As the sun came up on Day 11 of our journey through Egypt, we were greeted with incredible views of the desert meeting the sea. We were in the 15th hour of our 14 hour bus ride and it looked like we only had about three hours to go. We finally pulled in to Sharm [...]
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Day 10 1/2, One of Us Stayed Awake on the 18-Hour Bus from Luxor to Dahab
Blog: Flying Coach - 9 September 2009
Flip often makes statements such as “… one of us will have to stay home and take care of the baby”, or “one of us will have to go on site and take care of this server crash…” And somehow, when he makes such statements, that unfortunate “one of us” always ends up to be [...]
